The pieces published below were written by participants in AGE of Central Texas’s Memory Connections Program, which aims to enhance the mental and physical health and overall quality of life of people affected by early-stage dementia. The Badgerdog writing workshops provided for these groups were made possible by the generous support of St. David’s Community Foundation’s Health’s Angels.
Dear Reader,
If you happened into Meeting Room A at the North Austin YMCA, you’d see a friendly group of folks with coffee mugs and bright, warm sunlight illuminating the room. You’d hear the intermittent sounds of weights dropping on the ceiling above. You’d be privy to amazing stories and poems and plenty of laughter. If you’re a single lady in her mid-thirties, like me, you might even receive some encouraging dating advice. Most of all, though, you’d feel this writing group’s infectious positivity and easy generosity. What better place to be reminded of the importance of health and well-being than at the YMCA in a room full of some of the most kind-hearted people you could possibly meet. I’ve found their words to be as revitalizing as a daily dose of vitamin C.
Get ready to feel rejuvenated.
Julie Poole
Badgerdog Teaching Artist
Sunny Day
Happy to see the sun shine
This morning the clouds were gray
But the sun was bright and warm
A good morning for
Walking
Nice to hear
The sounds of morning
That seem to increase with the sunlight
That I listen to and hear the
Noises the household makes
Bob Russell
Falling Pen
– an erasure of a passage from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden
I rose while books
Tempted my pen falling
Out
My life
A gypsy circle
Bob Russell
Memories
There are emotions that at times are
rekindled—reminding us of what was,
what brought forth joy, what is
savored—those feelings that move
us forward—or, cherished as they are
or were, are stored in the keepsake
box of our heart.
Love is probably the most dominant—
It is the emotion that creates, consolidates,
and holds us together. This can be said
of friendship, short term or years in length,
one that shares the ups and downs of everyday.
Every day there is the echo of my grandchildren
as they prep for school, return home, tackle homework,
and joyously share their day—ups and downs,
all arounds. What more can I ask for.
Helen Haynes
Where the Wind Blows
– an erasure of a passage from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden
Advantages
Follow your genius
White sands—pleasant sunshine—
Free wind blows—
Life—everlasting
Helen Haynes
Appreciation
It is good to be alive because there are
so many things to see. I see the sun rising
in the morning, I see stars in the sky.
What more could you want to see?
I would like to see a jet fly in the sky
on a sunny day. I would like to see
clouds float by after
a summer storm. There are wonderful
things to see. If I would stop long
enough to see.
Ed Stephens
The Pond
– an erasure of a passage from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden
At least I rose enough to see
white sands from the pond.
Ed Stephens
Turtles Sunning
I live along Brushy Creek in Round Rock, Texas. It’s a place I have become quite fond of. I like to walk along the creek enjoying the tree-lined banks, walking upstream to the Round Rock and continuing further upstream to a place I call “Turtle Cove.” It’s a name I gave to the area where turtles like to gather and sun themselves on the banks of the creek. I always count the number of turtles on the bank. Yesterday, I counted forty-five turtles sunning themselves on the bank. It was a good number, better than I had seen for some time. It made me happy to see them again.
Alan T. Sagen
Equality
On Saturday, I saw the
hordes of woman and even
children descending on
Washington, D.C., in celebration
of the Women’s March for
Equality.
Marian Fleming
On Living in Downs, Kansas
Downs is a small town in Northern Kansas
just off of Highway 24. The town has one movie theater.
Many local farmers come to Downs on Saturday
nights to go to the one movie theater and drugstore.
Bruce Fink
View of Life Near Nature
– an erasure of a passage from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden
A gypsy’s pack,
where free wind blows, a three-legged table where
blackberry vines run around its legs.
Bruce Fink
Blossom
It’s good to be alive to hear
the birds sing, to be with my
children and grandchildren, to
be able to do fun things with
them, to watch them grow
and live their lives,
for them to be happy.
Heather De Loyo
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